Even with a baby on the way, don't expect the L.A.-based couple to tie the knot anytime soon. "The reason we're not rushing to get married is because I don't feel appropriate taking advantage of a right that's denied to my [gay and lesbian] friends," Bell, 32, told The Advocate in February. "That's why we've been so hesitant. Dax and I have talked about it a lot, and this issue is very important to both of us. We're just standing up for what we believe in. Period."

While promoting their movie Hit and Run in August, Shepard said neither he nor Bell would have any qualms about having a child out of wedlock. "We're not really worried about that," he said on Larry King Now.

For Bell, Shepard is -- and always has been -- the man of her dreams. "He constantly keeps me laughing: when I'm sad, mad, frustrated, annoyed. Regardless of what it is he can lighten the mood. He'll do anything that the mood requires," she once told Us. "I can't get frustrated and that is a very powerful weapon. Comedy is a very powerful weapon. He's so funny that it's overwhelming."